UK producer launches royal-themed SVoD service

Nick Bullen, founder of British production company Spun Gold, has launched an SVoD service called True Royalty.

The lineup will cover special-access documentaries and docu-dramas by the BBC and ITV, along with series about the royals and shows looking at their history, archaeology, art, and culture.

The launch follows a recent boom in royal programming after almost 30 million Americans watched the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

The service, which Bullen has launched with brand strategist Edward Mason and media entrepreneur Gregor Angus, is being rolled out in the US, UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

After an initial funding round, True Royalty has acquired around 150 hours of content at launch from the likes of All3Media, Banijay, and BBC Studios. According to Bullen, there will be 400 to 500 hours available by the end of the first year.

Launch titles include Prince Philip At 90, The Last Dukes, Meghan Markle: How To Be Royal, The Duke and Duchess of Windsor: The Secret Photos of Their Love Story and Henry VII: Winter King.

Netflix’s The Crown is also one of the biggest drama series in the world and has encouraged widespread interest in the British royals. “The Crown was no accident. [Netflix] filled a huge hole in their demographics,” Angus said. “They have done us two favours: They have generated deeper interest in what goes on in royal land, and they have educated a new population about SVoD.”